Millennials and Gen Xers need different advisor approaches

For example, a study from Global X found that for 87 percent of millennials, also known as Gen Y, their most important expectation of an advisor was protecting their investments during a market downturn. In contrast, 76 percent of Gen X wanted financial education.

This lines up with the observations of Rob O’Dell, certified financial planner with Coyle Financial Counsel. He also lectures on selling financial services across the generations for research firm Generational Insights.

Gen X tends to be very skeptical, he said. They know things don’t go according to plan. They grew up witnessing the Watergate scandal of the 1970s and watched the space shuttle Challenger blow up in 1986. They were often latchkey kids, with more than 50 percent having divorced parents, which led them to become very self-reliant.

“As a result, they want total transparency,” O’Dell said. “With mutual funds, for example, they want to know exactly how much they’re paying in fees at the fund level and advisor level.

“They want their advisors to help save them time and money, in that order.”

In contrast, O’Dell said, millennials — because they grew up so close to their super-involved baby boomer parents — are interested in similar social causes as embraced by their parents in the 1960s and ’70s. They want to make the world a better place, and they invest accordingly.